12 Monkeys

Bruce Willis plays Cole, a low-level criminal sent back in time to save the human race from a deadly virus that has forced mankind into dank underground communities in the future. Along his travels, he encounters a psychiatrist (Madeleine Stowe) and a mental patient, brilliantly portrayed by Brad Pitt, who may hold the key to the mysterious rogue group, the Army of the 12 Monkeys, thought to be responsible for unleashing the killer disease. Believing he can obtain a pure virus sample in order to find a cure in the future, he is met with one riddle after another that puts him in a race with time.

Directly inspired by Chris Marker's benchmark 1962 short film La Jetee, 12 Monkeys spirals off into temporal twists and surreal turns that make for a truly mind-bending piece of science fiction. Director Terry Gilliam, constrained by budget and time considerations, shot the film mostly on location in Philadelphia and Baltimore, frequently utilizing abandoned buildings and landmarks. The result is an appropriately bleak, grungy and claustrophobic look to Gilliam's wild apocalyptic fantasy that -- despite its disorienting narrative --manages to keep viewers engaged with its themes of insanity, virus paranoia and ecological catastrophe.

"12 Monkeys... [is] a celebration of madness and doom, with a hero who tries to prevail against the chaos of his condition, and is inadequate. This vision is a cold, dark, damp one, and even the romance between Willis and Stowe feels desperate rather than joyous. All of this is done very well, and the more you know about movies (especially the technical side), the more you're likely to admire it. " Roger Ebert

Duration: 131 mins. | Rating: R

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